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Internet sites to visit

Needlework websites to visit|
As part of my job, I sometimes visit websites relating to knitting and needlework to discover all sorts of information, patterns and tutorials. There is so much available, both for free and for fee, it is truly astounding — and time consuming. The trick, I have found, is to bookmark favorites and subscribe to online newsletters that deliver information right to my inbox. Some of the e-newsletters I receive are:

• tipnut.com: This blog arrives weekly and is written by a woman in Canada. It offers crafts, do-it-yourself projects and cleaning, food, garden, plants, health, beauty and household tips. But that doesn’t even begin to describe it because it provides so many links, you end up navigating around the world to sites you’ve never heard of and may want to bookmark. I generally stick to the crafts category, which always yields more than I can easily absorb even if I visited the blog several times a day. For example, a recent Tipnut newsletter posted Fat Quarter Fun: 40 projects and ideas — including a quilted tea cozy, changing pad and diaper pouch, checkbook cover, five yards of bias tape, placemats, small bags, aprons, knitting needle and crochet hook roll-ups and quilted pillows. And that’s just the tip of Tipnut. Scroll down the page a bit to find a section that features crochet projects, including a clever butterfly made from a circular motif dreamed up by a woman who blogs in the United Kingdom. Further down the page are knit projects and after that stuff you can print, such as labels and calendars. And along the way there are place to click that take you to the other subject areas Tipnut features.

• purplekittyyarns.com: This e-newsletter features free vintage knitting and crochet patterns and is a wonderful source if you are searching for a doily like grandmother made, a sweater similar to the one your mother knit you in the 1970s or patterns for mittens, socks, hats scarves and even dresses — many from the 1940s and 1950s.

• needlenthread.com: Written by stellar embroiderer Mary Corbett of Kansas, this missive focuses on embroidery and readers get to follow along as Corbett works on a monogram that involves intricate stitching. The newsletter also offers photo-illustrated stitch tutorials. Recently, it included a free black-work embroidery project courtesy of Berlin Embroidery Designs, berlinembroiderycom.

• knittersreview.com: This newsletters, written by Maine’s own Clara Parkes, keeps knitters and crocheters informed about interesting yarns she becomes acquainted with in her travels. She also shares information about fiber-related events, provides links to free patterns such as Morning Maine Mitts and conducts the Knitter’s Review Poll. A recent question asked was: Do you care if your yarn is dyed with natural or chemical dyes? One of the many attractive things about Knitters Review is its design, its conciseness and its brevity. Parkes does not overwhelm with information, she simply gives readers the best. Reading Knitter’s Review is like reading a letter from a friend.

I also subscribe to e-newsletters from BurdaStyle, Martha Stewart, DMC, Red Heart and a few others.

At home, however, I tend to reach for my library of books and magazines, both new and vintage. Sometimes, I just want the rustle and feel of a paper page and the simple, efficient beauty of a book — which does not require me to press a key, click on anything and on which my full attention can be focused.

Snippets

In conjunction with its upcoming exhibit, “Buttons, Rum, and Rakes: Freeport’s Mercantile Past,” Freeport Historical Society invites knitters to participate in a series of knitting circles that will focus on historic knitting patterns. The knitting circles will convene 1-3 p.m. Saturdays, through May 26, at the Harrington House, 45 Main St., Freeport. Organizers of the event will provide modern versions of original knitting patterns from the 1840s and will supply yarn for knitters who wish to knit from the historic patterns and donate the finished item to the historical society. The knitting sessions will be hosted by Freeport Historical Society staff member and knitter Katie Worthing. The sessions are free to knitters wishing to donate their finished historic item to the historical society. Other knitters will be asked to make a donation. For information, call 865-3170, email info@freeporthistoricalsociety.org or visit freeporthistoricalsociety.org.